Exercising apparatus.



PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

J. S. ADDLEMAN. EXBRGISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1906.

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JOHN S. ADDLEMAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

EXERCISING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed June 8, 1906. Serial No. 820,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. ADDLEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Exercising Apparatus;and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in exercising apparatus; and theinvention consists in an apparatus provided with a single transversefoot-crank and a hand-crank directly above the same and means to assistthe pedal over the dead-centers of the crank as they reach the bottom oftheir rotation, all substantially as shown and described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my newmachine, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detailshowing a joint in the connecting-links; and Fig. 4 is a detail insection, showing a removable bearing for the cranks, all as hereinafterfully described.

The exerciser thus shown is designed to accommodate two persons facingeach other; but this is only a simple form of the machine, which maybeextended so as to provide exercising means for a number of personsoccupying positions relatively as shown and side by side in an extendedmachine.

A new and original conception herein is the single crank or pedal A,which is mounted in the center,of the lower portion of frame B, at thethree several points 1, 2, and 3, respectively, the bearings 1 and 3 forsaid crank being in the sides of the main frame and bearing 2 in the topof a central standard or post 4. By the use of a single foot-crank fortwo persons I minimize friction and cheapen manufacture and obtain amuch more satisfactory action than could be by two cranks, in whichthere always was tendency to work against each other if not hung withthe greatest exactness. I have planned also to make this machine of theknockdown type or variety, and therefore the main frame itself isseparably connected with bolts or other means here and there, and thefoot-crank A, with its opposite sides a, is intended to be removablefrom the main frame whenever occasion requires. To this end said crankis supported in said frame is such a way that it can be removed withconvenience at any time, and the means employed are lateral pivotprojections 5 on the outer crank-arms a, which are engaged inbearing-plugs O, threaded into the sides of main frame A, and areprovided with cavities on their inside projecting inwardly beyond themain frame and of a size adapted to receive the pivots 5 of the cranks.This enables the said bearings C to be screwed outward to release thecrank and inward to secure it in place and is a very desirableimprovement. I might provide roller-bearings at this point, if Ipreferred, and such bearings might also be provided at other points inthe machine, if deemed desirable, to reduce or relieve friction.

D and D represent two foot-bars which are supported centrally on crank Aand at their ends by means of connecting-links G, which engage with thehand-crank at the top and with the ends and outer edges of thepedal-bars, as shown. The said bars D and D rest or are supported uponthe cross-ports or crank-foot A and in such manner as to have as littlefriction as good mechanics will afford and are confined upon suchcrossports of the cranks by bottom-plates d, which are fastened byscrews or other suitable means at their ends to said bars and so as tobe removable and permit the foot-bars to be removed from the machine.

The links G are pivotally engaged at g at their outer or upper ends andhave shouldered offset portions 8, which are adapted to overlap and abutwhen the joint is closed and are further provided with notches 9oppositely in their edges of a size adapted to engage over offset orshouldered portion 10 on each of the outer hand-cranks or sides 12,which form pivots for said links. This gives a construction which ispractically as effective as if the said diverging links Gr were made inone piece, but is a more convenient and desirable construction, becauseit enables me to readily detach the said bars or links G from the crankswhenever desirable. The lower ends of said links are detachablyconnected with the ends and outsides of the foot-bars by means of screwand nut or its equivalent.

A further and important improvement original in this machine is found inthe means for overcoming the deadcenter point or drop of the respectivecranks when they are down at their lowest point. I have found that in amachine of this kind there is a constant tendency to inertia when thecranks reach the bottom of their movements, with the weight of theoperatorsthereon, because there is no balance-wheel or the like to carrythe cranks over, except as the weight of the persons may serve thispurpose, and this I have entirely overcome and obviated by providingmeans which serve to throw the cranks across their dead-centers. Thesemeans comprise a spring H of a strap or strip form for each foot-bar,which is connected at its ends with the main frame and is free to springbetween its ends. This affords a cushioning effect to the foot-bar as itdescends and approaches the bottom of its stroke, and each footbar isprovided with a roller 14 at its ends and bottom adapted to strikespring H as the lowest point is reached and cause'the spring to bothcushion and facilitate travel over the dead-center. To this end thespring-bar is provided with a rocker-shaped downward curve or depressionh at each end, adapted to receive roller 14 as it rides over the same,and the said depression or curve is designed to be substantially on thearc of rotation of the foot-crank, so as to utilize whatever momentumthere is to swing the parts across the dead-center, as

described. The downward momentum is transferred to the roller and thespring and converted thereby into a forward movement which the curve ofthe spring accelerates.

It is practical to materially reduce the depressions h in the springstrips or pieces H, and the construction of said springs might be variedand still be the substantial equivalent of what is shown in function andeffect, the chief object being to have auxiliary means of a springycharacter to facilitate movement across the dead-centers and to take therise on the other side.

What I claim is 1. An exercising device comprising a main frame, afoot-crank mounted centrally in the lower portion of said frame and ahand-crank in the upper portion thereof, directly over said foot-crank,foot-bars resting midway between their ends on said foot-cranks, andlinks connecting the hand-crank with the extremities of said foot-bars.

2. In exercising devices, a main frame, a hand-crank in the top thereofand a foot crank in the bottom thereof directly beneath the saidhand-crank, in combination with foot-barspivotally supported at theirmiddle on said foot-crank and links connecting the hand-crank with theends of said foot-bars having hinge-joints at their top and constructedto engage operatively upon the sides of said hand-cranks.

3. An exercising device having a footcrank in its bottom and center anda handcrank in its top and center, foot-bars loosely mounted at theirmiddle on said foot-crank and links detachably connected with the endsof said foot-bars and pivotally connected at their top, said linksconstructed oppositely below their pivot connection to engage on pivotson said hand-cranks and adapted to lock temporarily thereon.

4. A machine having a set of foot-bars and foot-cranks on which saidbars are mounted, in combination with springs in the bottom of themachine engaged by said bars in their lowest plane of movementandadapted to carry said bars and cranks across their deadcenters.

5. The main frame and the cranks and foot-bars therein having rollers ontheir bottoms, in combination with a spring beneath each foot-barconstructed to be engaged by said rollers as said .cranks rotate.

6. The main frame and the cranks and foot-bars therein having rollers attheir ends,

in combination with springs beneath said foot-bars having curveddepressions corresponding substantially to the arc of rotation of saidcranks and adapted to be traversed by said rollers.

7. The main frame and the foot-crank centrally thereof at the bottom andfoot-bars mounted at their middle on said crank and provided withrollers at their bottom and ends, in combination with a spring for eachfoot-bar having a curved depression for each roller on said bar, andhand-cranks and connections therefrom to said footbars.

8. A frame and cranks therein one above the other, a bar supported onthe lower crank, links pivotally united at their top and constructedbelow said pivot to overlap and having opposite cavities engaged over apivot portion on the upper of said cranks, and the lower'ends of saidlinks connected with the extremities of said bar.

9. In a machine substantially as described, a pair of supporting-linkspivotally connected at one end and diverging therefrom to their oppositeends, said links constructed with abutting shoulders below their pivotand open recesses oppositely to engage over a pivot-point.

10. In a machine substantially as described, a horizontally-disposedflat spring, in combination with cranks and a horizontally-disposed barsupported on said cranks and provided with rollers to traverse saidspring.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN s. ADDLEMAN.

Witnesses:

R. B. lVIOSER, C. A, SELL.

